JOIN US

Do you want to help create a happier and kinder world? If so,
please join our movement, add your pledge and we'll send you
practical action ideas to make a difference. By choosing to Join,
you trust Action for Happiness to take care of your personal
information and agree to our Privacy Policy.

First name

Surname

Email address

Your pledge

I will try to create more happiness and less unhappiness in the world around me

news

New mass movement for a happier society launches with rallying call to action

12 Apr 2011 | Action for Happiness

* Change-makers pledge to create more happiness through
daily actions

* Potential to lift millions out of misery

A new mass movement to create a happier society launches today
(Tuesday 12 April 2011). Action for Happiness aims at a
fundamentally different culture, where people care more for the
happiness of others. The initiative is calling for people to pledge
to create more happiness in the world and take positive action to
promote happiness in whatever way they can - at home, at work or in
the community. Groups will be formed throughout the country, and
later worldwide.

Action for Happiness was founded by three of the most
influential thinkers in the worlds of economics, education,
politics and social innovation - Lord Layard, Geoff Mulgan and
Anthony Seldon. It has already gathered more than 4,500 individual
members from 68 countries and a network of supporting partner
organisations ahead of its launch today.

The movement is based on the new science of happiness and the
evidence that we can affect our happiness. Despite massive material
progress, people in Britain and the U.S. are no happier than they
were fifty years ago.

There are many societies in which people are much happier than
in Britain. For example, if we could increase our levels of
happiness to those in Denmark, Britain would have 2.5 million fewer
people suffering from unhappiness and 5 million more people who are
very happy.

Lord Richard Layard, co-founder of Action for Happiness, said:
"Our movement is based on a simple idea - if we want a happier
society, individuals have got to create more happiness in the world
around them. We want millions of people around the world to form
Action for Happiness groups to do just that - using the tools which
we are able to provide. This is a movement for radical cultural
change which can provide the basis for a better culture in the
21st century."

Mark Williamson, Director of Action for Happiness, said: "With
families and communities across the UK facing uncertain economic
times, and big global challenges to tackle as a society, it may
seem counterintuitive to talk about happiness. But on the
contrary, now more than ever we need to help people build their
personal resilience and create a culture where we are less
preoccupied with material wealth and more focused on each other's
happiness and well-being."

Individual happiness can change a lot between different periods
in a person's life. The main external factor affecting a person's
happiness is the quality of their relationships, at home, at work
and in the community. And the main internal factor is their
underlying mental health.

There is a wide range of proven actions people can take to boost
happiness, both for themselves and others. Although partly
determined by factors outside our control - such as our genes and
circumstances - our happiness is significantly affected by the
conscious choices we make and the way we choose to react to what
happens to us. Happiness is also contagious, so when we feel good
we help make others around us happier too.

To help people take positive action, the movement's new,
interactive website, www.actionforhappiness.org,
gives people access to the best tools, ancient and modern, for
creating more happiness for themselves and for others. It includes
10 keys to happier living and 50 practical actions to take.